06/27/2022
Meet your 2022 Santa Fe League Softball 12U Champions... The Rocky Ford Outlaws!
The Outlaws played hard this past Friday and Saturday! They played in the Round Robin Santa Fe League Tournament at Babcock Park and played 4 games including the championship game. The ladies had some ups and downs but stuck with it and had 3 victories and one loss. It was an eventful Saturday with some things happening that were out of their control, but the ladies played that much harder and played their best to come out with a Championship win! The coaches are extremely proud of these young ladies and their willingness to play hard and never give up! This Outlaw team stuck together and showed lots of grit and perseverance. Because it was a tournament, some of the newer and inexperienced girls didn't get much playing time, but when they were on the field, they played their hardest and in the dugout they never stopped supporting their teammates. Every young lady on the team played a major part in the team's success!
In game 1, the Outlaws played Las Animas and came out with a 14-2 win. Game 2 was played against Fowler and the Outlaws won 14-0. In game 3, the Outlaws played Crowley County and were defeated 12-6. The Outlaws faced Crowley County again in the championship game and redeemed themselves with a 13-5 victory.
Two MVPs of the tournament were chosen by all 4 coaches and those young ladies were pitcher, Alysia Marquez and 2nd basemen, Jaydon Johnson.
Alysia pitched strikes consistently and had several strikeouts. Even under extreme pressure, Alysia was able to take a breath, regroup and keep going. At bat, she managed to get several hits and get on base. Her hits resulted in several RBIs and stolen bases.
Jaydon played great defense, was always ready for plays that came her way and consistently hit the ball to get on base. Jaydon also stole several bases and was never afraid to get down in the dirt and slide. This resulted in several runs scored for the Outlaws. Most importantly, Jaydon always played with a smile on her face!
At the end of the tournament, Coach Rick had a special surprise for the team and presented each player with a softball ring and the MVPs with an additional championship ring. Thank you, Coach Rick! The City of Rocky Ford Recreational Department will be ordering shirts to give to the Outlaw team at a later date. The Outlaws would like to give a special thank you to Stacey Milenski and her crew for their hard work and for giving young ladies in the Arkansas Valley an opportunity for tournament play! The Outlaws would also like to thank their parents, family and supporters for their commitment to the team and getting the girls to practice and games as well as those parents who keep books and manage the scoreboard. It takes a village to support these young ladies and we certainly live in an amazing village! Thank you all!
